Research, ideas, and leadership for a more secure, peaceful world

Past Event
Seminar

Twin Births, Divergent Democracies: The Social Origins of Political Parties in India and Pakistan

Open to the Public

Why have some post-colonial states established durable democracies whereas others frequently oscillate between fragile democracies and autocracies?

Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.

Date: Time: - Location: Littauer Building - Belfer Center Library, Room 369
From left, Pandit Jawarharlal Nehru, Vice President of India's Interim Government, Earl Mountbatten, Viceroy of India & Muhammad Ali Jinnah, President of the Muslim League discuss Britain's plan for India at the India Conference in New Delhi, July 2, 1947

About

Why have some post-colonial states established durable democracies whereas others frequently oscillate between fragile democracies and autocracies? Understanding the conditions under which post-colonial states created and consolidated democratic regimes is of critical importance to political scientists and policymakers alike. This seminar addresses this question by asking why India and Pakistan―two states with shared cultural patterns and a shared colonial history, identical timings of democratization and similar levels of economic development―quickly established different kinds of regimes.

Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.